[Cytokine profile changes in children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis-associated uveitis].

AIM: to identify the differences between serum cytokine profiles in juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) with or without uveal tract inflammation.

MATERIAL AND METHODS: Serum cytokine profiles were studied in two groups of patients: 20 children with JIA and JIA-associated uveitis and 33 children, who had no signs of uveitis under basic therapy for their JIA. All the patients showed drug remission of articular syndrome. Inflammation of the choroid took the form of chronic anterior uveitis. The process was active in 95% of cases. The control group consisted of 35 children without rheumatic disease or other acute condition at the time of examination. Groups were comparable in terms of age and sex. Serum levels of TNF-α, IFN-γ, IL-17, IL-10 were measured by the enzyme multiplied immunoassay technique.

RESULTS: A statistically significant increase in TNF-α, IFN-γ, IL-17, and IL-10 levels was found in all patients as compared to the control group. A comparison drawn between serum cytokine levels of JIA patients and those, who also suffered from JIA-associated uveitis, revealed a decrease in IFN-γ and an increase in IL-10 in the latter group. There was also a statistically significant positive correlation between TNF-α and IFN-γ serum levels in patients with JIA-associated uveitis.

CONCLUSION: Development of uveitis in patients with drug remission of JIA occurs on the background of cytokine imbalance in the serum, in particular, increased concentrations of proinflammatory TNF-α and IL-17 cytokines along with reduced IFN-γ and increased IL-10 levels. This may be regarded as risk factors for ocular inflammation and should be taken into account when making treatment decisions.